“Lori, I’ll always have your back.” He covered my hand with his and I believed him.
As he pulled into the parking area in front of the office, I said, “This is the exact spot where we met.”
“No, Nicole introduced us in the office. This is where I teased you for the first time.”
“We’ve come a long way since that day.”
We gazed into each other’s eyes. “We have, haven’t we.”
We sat there for a moment. Teddy took a deep breath and said, “I jumped at the chance to pick you up, but now I see I brought you to a hornet’s nest.”
“Don’t worry. After yesterday, they don’t scare me anymore. Plus, what’s the worst they can do? It’s not like they can fire me. After all, I’m sure you’ve heard, I’m the camp’s national treasure.”
No one acknowledged us when we walked into the meeting, which, thankfully, seemed like it was mostly over. I sat next to Mindy as she pushed some handouts in front of me.
“Lori, just so you know, Bethany will be back Wednesday at the earliest, maybe as late as Friday. You’ll be covering for her while she’s gone,” Jack informed me.
“That means you need to attend the morning meetings.” Marilyn’s voice dripped with attitude.
It dawned on me that she was probably the person who was supposed to tell me about the meeting and hadn’t.
I could’ve called her out, but what good would it do to make Marilyn look bad? Though she hadn’t done anything to gain my sympathy, I felt some for her, having to deal with Jack 24/7. I nodded and said, “Understood.”
“Where’s your knapsack and clipboard?” Marilyn snapped at me, probably the way Jack snapped at her.
“I left it at the arts & crafts studio where I pick it up on my way back from my morning walk.” I assumed Abby heard Marilyn radio me. Otherwise, she’d be worried I met up with another bear.
“Well, you’d better make sure you’re prepared for tomorrow’s meeting.”
Any feelings of sympathy had just gone up in campfire smoke.
“Will do.”
As the meeting broke up, I looked directly at Jack and asked, “What’s Nate’s diagnosis?”
“He should have no lasting effects from the accident, but we’ll know more later today.” Jack looked at his clipboard as he spoke, as if he might melt if he looked me in the eye.
I picked up the paperwork, left the table, and stuck my hand into my mail slot to see if there were any messages. I also checked Bethany’s box. As I walked by Nicole’s desk, she gave me a supportive nod, which I returned. Bob and Teddy were waiting outside.
“Don’t pay attention to the Bergers. They’re in particularly bad moods, having been reamed by their partners after yesterday’s disaster,” Bob said.
“You’re a bloody hero, and they have the nerve to accuse you of being unprepared,” Teddy said.
“I’ll be fine. I’ll figure it out.”
Abby and Maggie intercepted me on the way to breakfast. Roger was a step behind them carrying my knapsack.
“I brought you some dirty-water coffee.” Maggie handed me my cherry blossom covered thermos.
“You’re a life saver! This is exactly what I need.” I took a gulp and, as usual, a drop fell smack in the middle of my clean white T-shirt.
“How’d you forget to go to the morning meeting?” Maggie asked.
“Marilyn forgot to tell me, and she made it out to be my fault.”
“Typical,” Abby said.
Roger handed me the bag. “When did you become so important, you get to hang out with the big kahunas?”
